10:30: After Ryan wakes up we run our errands…today it was the pharmacy & Albertsons for jam supplies.

12:00: We have lunch & both kids go down for a nap. Hopefully. Then I sing Hallelujah praises and run around my house like a mad woman trying to get anything I ever wanted to do…done. Actually since the kids sleep for about 2 hours, I usually take half an hour to do computer stuff, and the rest of the time I sew. Today I sewed together a quilt top:

After both boys are up I pull a pre-made casserole out of the freezer to thaw, then we head to a park or play “lets organize all the toys”. Today we went to the Nature Park…which is right next to the sewage treatment plant. Let me tell ya…once that breeze picked up we were out of there in a HURRY. They should rename it the poop-park since that’s what everybody calls it anyways.

7-ish: My husband comes home, we have a yucky Taco Casserole, then the boys play while I clean up dinner. Afterwards we do a 15 minute clean up of toys, etc. Then its pajamas, scriptures, family prayer and bed time for the boys around 8:30.

8:30: Once the kids are in bed I usually do a quick once over making sure the house is tidy, then I get my computer stuff done…and then sewing or binding while we watch a movie.

11:00: BEDTIME! And then 5 minutes after I fall asleep the baby wakes up and wants to eat. :) Because that’s just the way it works.

And that’s that. Nothing special. I get all my sewing done during naps and after bedtime. Of course it also helps that I don’t watch T.V. and I really do try to limit my computer time to a 1/2 hour email check in the morning and a 1/2 hour check at night…more if I’m writing a post or editing pictures. Lucky for me my husband had a 2 month break before he started work after we moved….so it was the perfect opportunity to get my “pattern” stuff done and quilts done while he could watch the kids more.

Also I want to add (like this post isn’t long enough), that sewing is an important part of my day. Its the only thing that stays finished. Tomorrow I will get up and do this whole routine all over again, but that quilt top? Its FINISHED. There will always be toys to pick up, meals to cook, and toilets to scrub. Sewing is my sanity….and worth every minute.

57 comments:

you said nature park by the sewage treatment plan and i knew EXACTLY where you live...only because i live here too, smal,l VERY SMALL world.i don't know why i get excited when i see that people live in the same town as me. haha

That sounds a lot like our days! I love what you said about your sewing being finished! It's nice to look at what you made for the day and know that it won't disappear or need to be done the next day all over again. (although it may get peanut butter or grass stains on it ;)

I think my baby is a few months ahead of yours--it may be nice to know that they eventually stop waking up right as you fall asleep. I liked reading through this--thanks for sharing. I tend to sew once a week during the day (occupying my almost 4 year old with some sort of project while baby naps and one night a week. The pool has been eating up my sewing time, I think :)

Love this post. I sew during naptimes (2 yrs old and still taking a 2-2.5 hr nap daily thank God!), and after the babe is in bed. Although... I don't get up until about 9 or maybe 9:30 and the baby goes to sleep around 9 so I get more time at night to play with fabric. I need to work on that 1/2 hour incriments of the internet. I'd get more done... oh and the tidying the house part...lol... I have trouble with that. :)

your last paragrah is something I try to explain to my friends and relatives when they ask me why I sew so much or how I have the time. Quilting/sewing is the only thing that I can produce where at the end of the day I have a tangible item and feel like I've accomplished something. Diapers and laundry don't do themselves, but it is an unending cycle for me right now!

Oh my goodness it sounds like my household. My kids are 4 and 3 (next month) so only my little one sleeps these days. My 4 year old gets to have quiet time too, which means watching a DVD or doing puzzles... or... he's just discovered the Wii so he plays tennis.

I loved reading your schedule, it brought back so many happy memories. My three formerly baby boys are huge now and those days are behind us. Sometimes I really miss them and I cherish all my memories. Enjoy!!

I am so impressed! I was never that organized -- too scattered, and my baby never napped for more than 15 minutes at a time (I actually kept a chart to show the doctor). But mainly it was my lack of organization.

My babies are hulking teens now, though I'm not quite sure when that happened. Enjoy your little ones, and thank you so much for sharing your creativity on your blog. It is much appreciated. :-)

Both of your boys nap - at the same time?! Wonderful! My 3 yr old stopped napping regularly about a year ago and there went my sew time. Now he goes to daycare. After I get some chores out of the way, I get about 2-3 hours to sew while DH and son are out of the house.

I'm jelous! I've never been able to sew while my kiddos napped! My son is terrified of the machine and every time I started it he would wake up screaming! I'm always envious of anyone with kids who aren't so weird ;)

Oh wow!!! I'm normal after all! ;-)) Sounds just like my average day... though I've got to say I'm impressed by the exercise bit... gotta work on that!!!! I love reading your blog and stop by often... that helps make my day and help my sanity! Thanks!

when my kids were little I would grab a few minutes to sew their clothes (my pre-quilting days) and then I could say I sewed a t-shirt today. you're right, with little kids, nothing else stays done. but now they're 14 and 16 and I don't quite know where the years went!

It seems to work when you write it down like that. Yet still I cannot seem to get sewing done as much as I would like. It doesn't help that my 2 and 4 year old have stopped naps (there goes that two hours) and by the time 730 bedtime rolls around (and I wait for them to fall asleep while sitting in the hallway) I usually am ready for bed my self at 8PM - to read not start to sew! Maybe I should pick another hobby? LOL

This is an anthem for how stay-at-home moms run the day! This is similar to my day and finding the time to do something you enjoy is always squeezed into the naptime...(enjoy the long naps b/c my 4 yr old doesn't nap anymore and is forced to stay in his room for "Quiet Rest Time" for 1 hr. ONE hour!! That's all I've got!) Now I've got to ditch that rushed feeling I have trying to be uber-productive during that 1 hour.

Sewing should be relaxing and theraputic!

Check out my blog http://genxquilters.blogspot.com for more mom-naptime quilting!

this is quite the inspiring post. i am a 1/2 stay at home mom (i work 32 hours a week), so it seems like i am always running behind at home. i agree with you about nap time though. it is the ONLY time to get anything done at home. especially with my super busy 4 year old and my 15 month old who is constantly trying to crawl up my leg. my 4 year old starts school in a couple of weeks and i am pushing myself to get on more of a schedule to make all of our lives easier!

Thanks for sharing this. I have a toddler and schedule our day so I have a good 3 hours of sewing(naptime, and after he's asleep.) Sometimes, people ask me how I get so much done, like I must be neglecting my kid to make so much time for myself. It kind of hurts my feelings. I'm glad to see you get your sewing time the same way I do. My Aunt taught me to quilt and she had 5 kids and described quilting exactly as you did. The only thing that wont get undone. Thanks again for sharing you made my day!

That is why I've picked up sewing again. I was getting frustrated with the fact that the same tasks needed to be done day after day, after day...but then I started sewing again, and once a step is DONE, it is DONE. That last paragraph could have been plucked directly from my mind!

Sounds exactly like my days! I am often asked the same question about finding time, but I agree, you have to make time for what keeps you sane. And 90% of what you do every day (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc) just needs to be done again tomorrow, so there is something satisfying about sewing, where you have something to show for your efforts that can't be "undone" in 2 minutes by a house full of kids!

I bet all those mini cleaning up sessions really keep you sane. I should really try to do more of that. My girls (3, 2, and 8 months) run me ragged. I feel like they destroy a part of the house as I'm cleaning another. That phase ends, right? ;)

Thank you for this post. I think I need to be better about limiting my computer time to a half hour. And I just couldn't agree more about the importance of my sewing time. I need it. It is the one thing you can actually see "finished" or "accomplished" and it gives me that sanity I need. Cannot wait to see this quilt.

This sounds so much like my day, other than the exercise and cleaning schedule, of course - I tend to neglect those a bit. I'm lucky that my 3.5 yr old STILL naps so I can get him and my 1 yr old to nap at the same time in the afternoon. I usually only get my machine out in the evening once kids are in bed...I use the naptime to cook, computer time and sometimes preparing patterns and cutting fabric.

I am always amazed by kids who nap regularly and still go to sleep at a reasonable time at night, and don't wake up at 5 am. Especially past the age of 2 1/2--mine don't/didn't!

Sounds like a good routine if everyone cooperates with you! I know exactly what you mean about things that stay done. When I was a new mom, someone once advised to try to do one permanent thing each day. I do believe it's some of the best advice I got.

Ok - you've inspired me to get my routine down - I usually all over the place! I like the limits on computer time...boy, that can really take a bite out of the day if you let it! If my favorite bloggers wouldn't write such great blogs, I wouldn't be on the computer all the time!!

I remember those days from long ago when mine were all small. I need to cut down my computer time too. Yesterday I did not have it on at all so today I am catching up. Love Gilad too I have a DVD of him but it is a hour program. know what you mean those girls do not look like me at all. Don't understand how they can work out in nylons.I have stacks of DVD's and change all the time.Yesterday I planned on quilting but nothing came of it. I cut my two West Highland White Terriers after they had a bath. Even the hair on the paws. Very time consuming.Cooked a W.W Mexican meatloaf for my husband and cooked chicken livers for the boys. Dove into the Sunday paper and a student came for help. Did some washing and that was it.Will try again today to do some quilting.

I just have to say that this post was meant for me today! I had just been talking to my husband about how the computer was eating up too much of my day. The baby has been sick and we've just been off schedule. I'm so motivated now, to turn this thing off and get stuff done. The baby's napping now, so here I go!

I love this: sewing is ... the only thing that stays finished. Tomorrow I will get up and do this whole routine all over again, but that quilt top? Its FINISHED. There will always be toys to pick up, meals to cook, and toilets to scrub.

I remember those days! Now I'm the Grandma...and I love it.When my children grew out of their naps or when the little one was down and the big one wasn't, I would sew. The child that was awake would sit beside my machine and we would read a book. I"d sew a little, read a page, tell them to turn the page, sew while they did that and read another page and so on. Sometimes I would just have them "read" me the pictures and their stories were always better than the text!

I love this post! I love the sentiment about our creative outlet staying DONE long after the laundry and dishes need to be tackled again! I think I even enjoyed my knitting more today thinking about it in this way. Hope you have a great day tomorrow.

I think you said one of the favorite things I have ever heard in this post. I have been telling people for days that I read on your blog "It stays finished." What a beautiful way to put how I have been feeling and not even knowing it. I will have to do laundry day after day, but my quilting will stay finished! Thank you for expressing exactly what I have been feeling.

With three kids, I hear ya, sister!! Quiet time and bed time have become mom-time, and it's what keeps my sanity, and makes our family run smoothly! :) My oldest starts kindergarten tomorrow, so I guess we'll see how the schedule changes after that, but I just may copy your cleaning schedule too!! :) I know my husband would love that! Sewing is a-mazing stress-relief, unless you're like me, and sometimes your projects fail miserably! Ha ha! :)

I just found your blog, and I love this post. Your day/week sounds a lot like mine. BUT I never realized that the reason I like crafting/sewing sooooo much was it turns out a finished project unlike what I do every day. Thanks so much for clarifying why I NEED to get to my craft area everyday. Your blog is great and your quilts are beautiful!!!